At last weekend’s ADAC Junior Cup 85 in Bielstein, the Townley family was a real highlight: while young talent Jagger lined up at the start gate, his older brother Levi passionately cheered him on from the sidelines. For Levi, currently sidelined due to injury, it was a welcome change of pace — originally, he was supposed to compete at the EMX125 round in Finland.

Our German friend, Ralph Marzahn from MXNEWS-Online spoke with father Ben Townley — Motocross World Champion, coach, and father of three. In the interview, he speaks openly and warmly about how the family experienced the event in Bielstein, why the ADAC MX Masters could play an important role in Jagger’s development, how he balances sporting ambition with family life — and why sometimes it’s important to remember that life isn’t just about motorcycles. It’s an insight that shows: behind sporting success, there are often values, togetherness, a lot of heart — and above all, family.

Ben, last weekend you were by Jagger’s side at the ADAC Junior Cup 85 in Bielstein. Levi was there too, supporting his brother. What was it like for you as a family to be there together — and how did you experience the event overall?

We had a great time in Bielstein and thought it was a really well-run event. The atmosphere, the competition — everything was fantastic. The level in the 85cc class was particularly impressive. Overall, we had a wonderful time as a family.

You said you were really impressed by the organization of the ADAC MX Masters. What stood out to you or left the biggest impression?

It was a very well-organized event. For the young kids, who had six high-quality sessions, it was a fantastic weekend. Of course, the strong competition made it even more exciting, though it can sometimes be a little tough, especially when your own kids are involved. Overall, I was really impressed by the event.

Are you seriously considering having Jagger race the full ADAC MX Masters season next year? What do you see as the main reasons in favor of that?

Yes, we’re seriously considering letting Jagger race the full 85cc series — and Josh Coppins is planning the same for his son Nixon. Mainly, the idea came up because I’ve been watching Lucas (Leok), Harry (Dale), and other boys racing in this series for a few years now.

When we saw the level of competition this weekend, we were genuinely impressed. The battle from third to fifteenth place was incredibly intense. I was really amazed by the depth of the field — and it’s exactly this kind of competition that pushes riders to become better.

From your perspective as a former pro: What’s more important right now for young riders like Jagger — technical development on the bike or learning race tactics and mental strength?

Well, for a rider at Jagger’s age, technical development on the bike probably comes first. After that, race intelligence, mental discipline, and gaining experience with all kinds of race situations — whether on sand, hardpack, mud, or whatever — become crucial.

Being able to gain all that experience at this age is an incredible opportunity for young riders. What they take away from it will help them later on, especially if they continue racing at a professional level.

From my perspective, the level in Europe right now in the 85cc class is extremely high. I’m really impressed.

As a father, how do you experience supporting both your boys on their journeys? Are there moments where they push each other or learn from one another — not just on the bike, but also as brothers?

At the moment, they don’t really push each other that much. Of course, Jagger is two years younger, so sometimes he’s more being pulled along. But they really support each other, which is really nice — simply as brothers.

We saw that this weekend in Bielstein, with Levi supporting Jagger a lot. I’m sure that will change over time as they get older and the age gap matters less. Then they’ll become true competitors, which will certainly help them become better riders and racers. And without a doubt, that will be a great time in their lives — just as brothers. That’ll be really cool for them.

As a father, coach, and former world champion — how do you manage to balance sporting ambition with keeping the family connection strong?

Yes, balancing sporting ambition and family life is a challenge — but it’s simply part of the journey we’re on. We’ve now been living in Europe for almost six months, and honestly: motocross hasn’t been this intense for me since I retired eight years ago.

The boys have mostly raced in New Zealand, Levi also did a bit in Australia and last year in Europe, but overall, the level had been relatively moderate. It’s only in the last 12 to 15 months that it’s become much more serious, especially because Levi was so successful at the Junior World Championships.

Overall, we have a great balance in life, even if it’s quite different right now. But as for our family life back in New Zealand, it really works well. The boys also have a sister, who’s eleven years old, and we try to do a lot of things outside of the sport that she enjoys — just to keep a good balance for the whole family.

How do you organize yourselves as a family on race weekends? Who takes on which tasks, and how does the teamwork work behind the scenes?

As for the division of tasks in our family, I take care of the bikes. Especially when both boys are training and racing at the same time, it’s pretty time-consuming. So I handle all that stuff. Lucy, on the other hand, takes care of pretty much everything else — and that’s a huge part.

I take the boys riding, coach them, and mentor them. But behind the scenes, there’s a lot of work: working on the bikes, organizing what we need, and so on. Lucy holds our family together. She’s the backbone of everything and makes sure the rest runs smoothly: from race entries to meals, accommodation, travel plans, school, appointments with the physiotherapist — the list goes on and on. And of course, she’s also just a mom.

When you look at other racing families — what do you think is the key for kids to keep enjoying motocross long-term and not burn out too early?

Oh, absolutely, 100% — I think one of the biggest points is to avoid burnout. When I look around motocross sometimes and see how some parents behave, I think: that’s just a recipe for total burnout.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to film those parents and show them the video a few years later — what they’d think of themselves.

At the end of the day, if kids are racing, it should be their dreams, their desires, and their motivation — not the parents’. Sometimes parents need to take a much harder look at themselves than they realize.

What values do you hope to pass on to your kids through the sport — beyond just chasing titles and results?

For me, the most important thing is that they’re simply good human beings — that’s the number one thing in life. Then come values like respect and loyalty. And also appreciating what we have in life.

The opportunities the kids get — to ride bikes, to race, and everything that comes with it — it’s just incredible. When I look at what we’ve already done, from traveling through New Zealand to Australia and now Europe, it’s really something special.

I think those are the truly important things in life — long before any result or success matters. There’s no doubt in my mind: that’s what counts far more.

And finally: Do you ever have a “no motocross today” weekend, or is racing simply always part of family life?

Yes, we have plenty of weekends without motocross. Our life in New Zealand is completely different from what we’re doing here — really completely different.

We spend a lot of time at the lake; our family loves waterskiing. My daughter is basically a fish on land — she just loves the water. We often go to the ocean, just 20 minutes from where we live, and the kids can surf, snorkel, and do lots of other things. We also have a lake only 40 minutes from our house, where the kids can enjoy all kinds of watersports, which they absolutely love.

They also really enjoy mountain biking. I’d say we’re generally quite an active family. We rarely have weekends just sitting around playing cards — maybe if it’s raining.

Other than that, we consciously spend a lot of time as a family, disconnected from the sport. That’s important to us because life isn’t just about motorcycles.